Monthly Archives: November 2013

I remember when I first read this book. I first read Ender’s Game for summer reading before my freshman year in high school. Out of all my summer reading that semester that was the only book I can still recall and I enjoyed it.

I have only read this book 2 times so I will not be doing a book movie comparison so much this time. I remember how it ended and the impact it had on me, so I will be focusing on the end of the movie in comparison to the book. As well as just talk about the movie in general.

I remember when I first heard this book was being turned into a movie, I felt a lot of excitement than a lot of dread. I was really worried and really concerned with how they were going to adapt it to screen. I only went to see the movie because my father said they did a pretty good job of it. I am glad I went, it was a very enjoyable movie.

*WARNING~Spoilers*

If you have not read the book or seen the movie don’t go any further.

Okay to continue…

In the book the perspective was completely from Ender’s perspective, you were experiencing the journey with him, every triumph, every defeat. In the movie it is more of a limited God like perspective. It is limited in that sense that you know more than Ender for you are learning what those in charge are doing. Well, mostly. If you have read the book, than you will know what they are referring to, but if you haven’t, you the audience will still be kept in the dark, which they did a great job with, while also hinting that there was more going on than being told, but not being so obvious about it.

That is where the ending comes in, the big reveal. Ender has been fighting the Buggers (the aliens) all along. Even though Ender was really young in the books in comparison to the movies, I still really enjoyed watching the movie and I still felt just as bad for him and his friends when they learned what they had done and how many lives they had killed. I also didn’t like how this one aspect wasn’t portrayed, it portrayed him as a ruthless kid in the end, willing to do anything to win. When in fact in the book, he became so ruthless because he was angry and tired of command school and wanted to be expelled. Not to be made a hero.

What I was disappointed in was it felt really fast to me. I wish they had spent more time on the Ender’s training with the Salamander Army and Dragon Army. I really wish they had spent more time on that, granted it got the point across that Ender was smart, but I wish it spent more time showing the audience his development as a leader and tactical strategy. I enjoyed the development that occurred in the book, I wish they had taken more time with that aspect.

With talking with my boyfriend after the movie he had asked if there was anything romantic between Petra and Ender. At the time, I didn’t think there was, but in the movie it appeared as though there were some underlying romantic feelings. My boyfriend who had never read the book thought there was something going on between the two and no doubt others who had not read the book would think this as well. Well in the books, that never happened. They were just friends. Come on Hollywood, really! Can’t a boy and girl just be friends. You are starting to anger me with adding romantic undertones that didn’t exist.

They were and are just friends. Also they were both pretty young in the books, like 8.

To get the the special effects and visuals, they were excellent. I loved how detailed the home planet of the aliens were, how they had apparently studied insect homes and insects themselves in order to create the atmosphere on the planet.

Also when I saw the Battle Station my boyfriend and I had flashbacks to a sci-fi show that came out in the early 90’s, Babylon 5.

Side view of Battle Station (Ender’s Game)

Front of Battle Station (Ender’s Game)

Babylon 5 (Part of Babylon 5 TV show)

Babylon 4 (Part of the Babylon 5 TV show)

The main thing was the entrance to the battle station. It reminded me a lot to the entrance of Babylon 5. Click on the 3rd image from the top to get a better look at it.

Also the whole rotating space station in order to have gravity also reminded me of Babylon 5 as well. It is like they combined Babylon 4 and 5 into this ship and this is what they got. I know they don’t look alike, but there are a lot of similarities. And before you go into how Babylon 5 space stations have that 90’s graphic look to them, that is because that show was made in the 90’s. They both also had the rotating space station aspect so that way they can have gravity aspect. I don’t know a lot about the science behind it and I haven’t seen that many futuristic space movies so that could be an old concept, it just also reminded me of Babylon 5.

Overall I would give this movie 3 out of 5 stars. It was done well, but because I felt like it went too fast for my taste through the battle station, command school, etc. I have to give it 3 stars. Still very well done though. A lot better than I expected it to be.

So I went to see Catching Fire at 11:55 (by the time commercials were through it was a little past midnight) on November 21. I didn’t dress up this year, I had wanted to, but I had no money to get items to make a costume. I was sad, I knew how I was going to do, I knew all the materials I needed. I just needed money.

This is the costume I wanted to make.

But instead I wore this,

I love this top! I Got it at Forever 21 if you are curious.Chris and I, waiting in line.

I wish I had my camera I saw a few people dress up. Someone dressed up as the outfit that Peeta and Katniss wore as they ride on the chariots in the movie, the both wore black, but with red Christmas lights underneath. It was really creative. There was a guy there that looked like peeta and dressed up like Peeta, all the single girls( and not so single) were going crazy, until they realized he was with someone. There was a couple go as Johanna and Finnick, he did a really great job at it too. But it looked like the picture below.

The guy added fishnets.

I always enjoy when people dress up for the movies, it makes my day.

*WARNING- SPOILERS*

Seriously I will be talking about the movie. I held off talking about the movie because I don’t like talking about spoilers for people. At this rate though I can’t wait any longer. If you haven’t seen it yet, just stop reading from here on out.

I will be comparing the movie to the book of course. I will also compare it to the first movie (which I really enjoyed despite the shaky camera, that didn’t bother me as much as they left stuff out) and also how it ranks as a movie, if you haven’t read the books.

What I loved:

~Book Comparison~

Johanna- I felt the exact same reactions to her as I did to the book. I hated her when she was stripping in front of Peeta and messing with Katniss. But when she said to Katniss, make them pay for it, I loved her. My love/hate relationship happened in the book and when watching the movie.

The Interview- it went beyond my expectations. I was so happy with all the victors, how they were saying goodbyes, expressed their anger at being there again, and of course the showing of the dress and seeing President’s Snows reaction. The people going nuts when Peeta said Katniss was pregnant and they were shouting for they didn’t want their victors to die. Than when they held each others hands, they turned off the TV.

Katniss’ reaction to Peeta’s death moment.

The Jabbery Jays, they did an excellent job with the voices and how Katniss reacted to it. Same with Finnick.

~Not in the Books~

Snow’s granddaughter- I enjoyed seeing her. My favorite part with her was when she said when everyone was wearing their hair like that at school, just like Katniss’ hair. Snow’s expression was priceless.

Gale protects a district 12 citizen- they didn’t haven that in the book, but it was a very Gale thing if you have read the books and I could see him doing that.

Effie tells them they deserved more than this. They deserved to be happy. I was so glad I brought tissues for this movie.

The man who lusted and touched Katniss Everdeen– someone on tumblr mentioned this and I wish I knew who they were, but they made an excellent point. We learn in Mockinjay that Finnick basically was prostituted by the capital. If Katniss Everdeen didn’t have Peeta, she probably would have been prostituted too. The people who read the book saw this all because one man creepily touched Katniss.

Foreshadowing about what we learn about President Snow– we see blood flowing from his mouth into his champagne glass. For those that don’t know President Snow was poisoned at one point and it almost killed him. He still suffers from ulcers in his mouth, which bleed sometimes. The reason why he wears a rose that is specially perfumed to drown out the smell of blood that can come from his mouth. This is mentioned in Mockingjay.

What I hated:

~Book Comparison~

They left out the growing relationship between Peeta and Katniss- they had more time together. They had more inside jokes, humor, etc. They have more interactions that show us they are getting closer and that maybe Katniss does have feelings for Peeta. They only showed the idea of them sleeping together in bed one time. They wouldn’t have been doing anything, just sleeping because they both get nightmares and it would have continued to show they are getting closer.

The Pregnancy- it was mentioned for a second and never addressed again. In the book, it was brought up frequently. Peeta even asks Katniss if he did the right thing and was it okay. I loved that scene because it really showed Peeta’s concerns of doing something without Katniss knowing. They left out the intensity of that scene which upset me.

~Not in the Books~

a.k.a. what I hated most of all-

Kissing Gale & the love triangle that really isn’t emphasized in the movie- What the? She didn’t kiss him that many times. Gale and Katniss kissed a total of 3 times in the movie. One time when Gale surprised Katniss,one time she kissed Gale while he was healing at their place after he got whipped. And before she leaves, wait that didn’t happen in the book. Also her feelings toward Gale were more like, I may or may have had a crush on Gale, but that train and has come and gone. Why Hollywood!? Seriously, there was pointless, you only did this to suck in the Twilight crowd and the people that love , love triangles.

~Other things I enjoyed ~

I enjoyed seeing the costumes.

I enjoyed the setting that was used for the chariots to be seen, it was bigger than the last one and I just loved the style, seemed more Romanesque.

And the ending of the movie-

A lot of people have had issues with the ending of the movie. I knew it would end in some fashion like that (for I have read the book), but at the same time I just wish they had done something a little different, like when she is told that there is no District 12, it would have been awesome to have seen District 12 in ashes than you pan back to Katniss looking all determined and ready to kick butt.

Overall I really enjoyed this movie. It ripped my heart and feelings out, stomped all over them, and burning them. I will have to wait a whole year before my heart and feelings can be repaired. This isn’t good by the way, since I will be seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug soon.

This movie gets a 3.5 stars out of 5 because of the lack of Peeta and Katniss interaction and the love triangle was unnecessary.